You'll Never Guess Who Co-Wrote Sia's New Single

Prepare yourselves, pop music fans: Sia's new single, "Alive," premieres on Sept. 26. Are you ready to shout along at the top of your lungs even though you'll probably only be able to understand about 30 percent of the words? I know I am. According to Idolator, the 39-year-old Australian artist made the big announcement during an appearance at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend. Unexpected! But here's the most unexpected thing about this news: Billboard reports Sia wrote "Alive" for Adele. In fact, the British diva co-wrote it with her. However, the track was apparently rejected "at the last minute," and Sia decided to keep it for herself... even though its lyrics were specifically written about Adele's life. Huh. Confused? Don't worry, I'll explain.

"Alive" is the lead offering from Sia's new album, This Is Acting. In February, Sia described the concept behind the project to NME: "I'm calling it This Is Acting because they are songs I was writing for other people, so I didn't go in thinking 'this is something I would say.' It's more like play-acting. It's fun." Taking on a new "role" for each song sounds tricky, but if anyone can pull it off, it's Sia. In recent years, she's made a living penning tracks for other singers (Rihanna, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, etc.), so she has a lot of experience "seeing through someone else's eyes."

Come to think of it, This Is Acting could be a really smart career move for the fame-phobic songwriter: it shifts the focus from her to the artists she wrote these songs for. It's like she's sneakily sidestepping out of the spotlight. Pretty clever, huh?

Normally, I'd be a little put off by a performer who seems to be constantly trying to keep her audience at arm's length, but Sia has good reasons for wanting to maintain some privacy (and she does occasionally let down her guard). Honestly, I'll take more music from Sia any way I can get it. She's just that good.

This Is Acting is allegedly due out in early 2016.

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